Jasmine Crockett warns Democrats: A racial ‘reckoning’ is coming

BS BULLETIN:

Jasmine Crockett says Democrats face a post-midterm “reckoning” over the party’s treatment of Black voters and candidates.
Crockett says Democrats can’t depend on Black voters while questioning whether Black candidates are “electable.”
But a new Texas poll complicates her argument: 79% of likely Black voters back James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett lost the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas five months ago. She’s apparently still keeping the receipts.

In a lengthy new interview with “The Breakfast Club,” Crockett predicted Democrats will face a “reckoning” after November’s midterm elections over what she sees as the party’s willingness to rely heavily on Black voters while simultaneously doubting the electability of Black candidates.

Crockett lost the March primary to state Rep. James Talarico, who won 52.4% of the vote after a bruising contest in which race and electability increasingly became part of the argument. Crockett performed especially well among Black voters, while Talarico was stronger among white and Hispanic Democrats.

Crockett’s complaint now goes beyond Texas. She argues Democrats repeatedly tell Black voters they are the party’s most dependable constituency, then become considerably less enthusiastic when a Black candidate seeks statewide office and the conversation turns to whether white voters will support that candidate.

During the primary, Crockett had already described some of the electability arguments against her as racial “dog whistles.” She also accused a pro-Talarico super PAC of using a darkened image of her in an advertisement — something the group disputed, noting that the same visual treatment was applied throughout the ad.

Her defeat didn’t exactly produce a warm political reunion. Crockett conceded but did not endorse Talarico, and earlier this month she publicly expressed skepticism that her former opponent can actually defeat Republican nominee Ken Paxton in November.

But here’s where Crockett’s warning runs into some inconvenient numbers. A Texas Southern University survey released this month found only 7% of Black Texans who voted in recent elections said Crockett’s primary defeat made them less likely to vote in November. Even more striking: 79% of likely Black voters said they intend to vote for Talarico, compared with just 12% for Paxton.

In other words, the Black voters Crockett says Democrats risk alienating appear — at least for now — remarkably willing to vote for the white Democrat who beat her.

That doesn’t necessarily erase Crockett’s broader argument about how Democrats treat Black candidates. But it certainly complicates the suggestion that her loss has produced anything resembling a mass Black-voter revolt against Talarico. And Talarico could use every vote he can get.

The Texas Senate contest has become one of the country’s marquee midterm races, with Democrats hoping Talarico can finally break the Republican grip on a statewide office and Republicans betting Paxton can keep Texas red.

MY QUICK TAKE

I must admit, there is something fascinating about watching Democrats discover identity politics has terms and conditions.

For years the party’s message was essentially: Race matters. Representation matters. Identity matters. Then a Black woman loses a Democratic primary to a white man and suddenly everybody would like to discuss electability. Jasmine Crockett has noticed.

The awkward part for her is that Black Texas voters apparently noticed too — and 79% of them are still prepared to vote for Talarico.

That’s quite a racial rebellion. Apparently somebody forgot to tell the rebels.

But Crockett’s larger complaint creates a delicious problem for Democrats. You cannot spend years teaching voters to examine everything through the prism of race and then act shocked when one of your own candidates picks up the prism and examines you. Once you build the identity-politics merry-go-round, folks, you don’t get to complain when everybody wants a ride.